MULTI-MILLION SUPER CAMPUS FOR AYRSHIRE
by Carrie G.
New £64million super campus for Cumnock in East Ayrshire will join
primary and secondary school in areas of Auchinleck, Cumnock, New
Cumnock, Mauchline and many more. When built it will be one of the
largest schools in Europe. The school has caused concern among the
local people due to a lack of clarity about travel plans, traffic,
and the demolition of Broomfield which is the proposed site for
the new school.
The building of a new school may not be news for many, however, for this small town the construction of a £64 million ‘Super Campus’ is definitely a big deal.
Though this article will consider the merging of the Cumnock and Auchinleck communities, much of the focus will be on Cumnock as the majority of the schools that are moving into the new campus are located there.
Many of the schools in the local area are not fulfilled to their capacity and therefore are wasting millions of pounds in running costs every year.
The school buildings that currently exist in the area have an age of anywhere
from 42 years old to over 100 years old. While we are proud to have schools in Cumnock and Auchinleck with such history however the age of these buildings can and sadly does mean many are now falling into disrepair and are costing the local authority a lot of money to keep them up and running. For example Greenmill Primary, which was previously the old Cumnock Academy building, has parts of the building which are over 170 years old. This is a beautiful old building but that is exactly the problem. It is too out dated and on too many different levels that it causes an access problem for pupils with a physical disability.
It’s not just the buildings themselves that are outdated and in need of repair but the facilities within the buildings too. Obviously it would be a difficult task to modernise any building that is over a century old however when you combine a lack resources with a lack of funding in deprived areas like Cumnock and Auchinleck the existing schools are bound to be
more than a bit behind times. However the new campus will be built using a grant from the Scottish government that will simply go to waste if unused.
Obviously when you want to slap a brand new ‘super school’ into the middle of a small community and, in the process, bulldoze schools that the majority of the population attended as a child themselves, there will be objections. I sympathise with the people in Cumnock and Auchinleck who have protested to the construction of a new campus. I understand that the plans for the school essentially involve tearing apart an area that holds many memories for a lot of people, however I currently attend Cumnock Academy and while I will be sad to see it torn down, the area is in desperate need of new resources and I agree whole heartedly with the statement “Sometimes things fall apart so that better things can fall together”.
There have been many negative things said about the campus and the main focus of these complaints is the loss of a large open area of Broomfield; which is the proposed site for the new campus .However what the people protesting the ‘destruction’ of Broomfield don’t realise is that it is not demolition but a renovation.
The plans for the school clearly show brand new and better facilities to replace those being removed for the construction of the campus. In fact the new facilities will not only be an upgrade on the existing ones but they will also be made more available for use by the public outside school hours. The majority of Cumnock residents have attended this school but I wonder when the last time they took a look inside it was. I wonder if they saw the old fashioned classroom space, the paint peeling from the damaged walls and froze themselves sitting in one of the classrooms because the heating doesn’t always work. I wonder if then they’d realise how badly the residents of East Ayrshire need this new campus
While planning this article I thought it made sense to meet with the architects of the new campus, after all who better to explain the amazing new facilities that the community will be gaining than the people who designed them.
I met with architect Adam McGhee of Sheppard Robson, who kindly showed me the plans and explained the choices that have been made concerning the Knockroon Campus. He told me of the many amazing resources that will be included in the new school. This includes study areas, internet access, better access to technology and many more. For example a hydro therapy pool, one of which currently exists in Hillside Primary School however the relocation of this resource will mean that families will be able to access it more easily and on a more frequently basis, outside of school hours if needed.Regardless of claims by certain groups within the community the new campus will be an asset to the local area. Granted we may have to tear up Broomfield in order to construct it, but in return for a muddy field with poor drainage, a worn out running track and a ruined pavilion we will be gaining two amazing rugby full sized cushioned rugby and football pitches, an upgrade to the existing AstroTurf at Cumnock Academy, a new running track, various garden and outdoor learning spaces and better covered walkways, paths and access to Broomfield. As someone who has to walk across Broomfield to get to and from school every day, I can tell you that it is in desperate need of an upgrade unless of course you like your child walking through small lakes to get to school in the morning.
As a pupil of Cumnock Academy who has lived in Cumnock her whole life, I have many memories of Cumnock Academy, which is why I sympathise with the people who don’t want to see it demolished.
My mother, father and grandfather went to this school; I had hoped my brothers and sister would go there too. I’ll admit, to begin with I was sceptical of the idea of this school but I now realise that having a £64 million super campus, one of the largest schools in Europe no less, built in our area can only mean more opportunities for the community. While there have been concerns over environmental issues and traffic congestion, I’m hoping to comfort you with the fact that rather than a loss of brown space, we will in fact be gaining better quality green areas and an increase in trees and hopefully wildlife. The concerns about traffic congestion I can put to rest as the plans for the school show that the main premise is a park and stride idea, where cars will be kept away from the play areas around the school and pupils will be encouraged to either walk through what is currently the Cumnock academy site or from a nearby car park should they require more assistance.
Credit Sheppard Robson
This is an improvement on the current academy sites which both have very little play space and what little space we have is located right next to a car park; a source of many safety concerns for many parents and staff. This campus is a major win for the community and rather than protesting it we should be working with the local authority to make it an even better place for future generations
